


Fixed Moment

by CarolStanvers



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Avengers Family, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Enemies to Friends, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Headcanon, I Am Groot (Marvel), Peter Parker Calls Tony Stark "Dad", Protective Loki (Marvel), Time Travel, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, im fixing the plotline, it's okay guys endgame isn't cannon, point is it's not traumatic, screw the russo brothers, well technically nobody dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26530981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarolStanvers/pseuds/CarolStanvers
Summary: 14,000,605 possible outcomes of the coming conflict. Or so Strange thought... But what if he looks a little earlier? He can't see what's coming for certain, but he may know a gay librarian who does.
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

In a room riddled with dusty old books, a doctor loomed in the darkness. His head hung over stained, crinkled pages and eyes bore the knowledge of the time stone, one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. The smell of dust lingered about him, casting him further into a reality of his own making, a palace of his own mind. Gentle creaks and stirs of the ancient building rocked him into a gentle haze in which he knew no danger.

"It's unwise for a sorcerer to wander into books far beyond their skill set," an authoritative voice pierced through the thick silence. Strange jumped from his skin. "It is even more foolish to mess with a stone far more powerful than what you know." She stepped forward out of the darkness, allowing the light from the dim window to shed onto her. Her eyes gleamed with wistful knowledge as Strange strained his head to meet her. 

Ignoring what she'd warned him, he turned back and closed the book, "I've seen what the future holds," he murmured, clasping his shaking hands tightly. He sat hunched over, elbows to knees, staring into the scratched wooden floor. His eyes drafted wild fear surfacing from the deep depths of the visions he'd just witnessed, and within them the strangers he'd learn to know. 

"And what do you make of it?" The Ancient One wondered, that superior smile permanently glued to her voice. Her presence now made clear, the building stopped creaking, fearful of disrespecting someone who'd been there much longer than it had. 

Strange rubbed his aching neck and breathed heavily. He stood from his uncomfortable seat and turned to face her with irritation masking the threat behind his eyes. "Half the universe turned to dust, desolation, a dystopian world frozen in time," he rambled, pushing back his untidy hair after practicing for so long. 

The Ancient One stepped away and placed her hands behind her back, looking past the window as though at something he couldn't see. "And what beyond that?" she pushed, aware of the strength and determination that lay within Strange, and the limits he'd push to save every last soul.

His voice deepened as though stifling back a cry of pain, "years of nothing until an unseemly sacrifice," he summarised briefly, knowing the detail was a hard weight to carry.

She stopped and smiled softly to herself. "There are millions of alternate futures, every choice we make affects the reality we live in," she stated, and as though she were searching for a particular answer, she turned back to him, "how do you know the one you saw is the one that is destined to take place?" 

He took a breath and stood by her at the window, staring wistfully at a building off in the distance. "I had a dream."

~~~

"Look, I don't care what you say. If I wind up in a restaurant and I'm casually eating my food and then I turn and see some big green Hulk all civilised and dressed in an old granddad jumper with reading glasses, I am going to pass away. That's all I'm saying," a raven haired girl spoke down the phone as she paced down a busy street. She sighed as her mother responded with some stupid theory about her overactive imagination impacting the dreams she had at night. 

"No, Mum, I'm telling you. I have crazy dreams all the time but this one was actually structured - it was in chronological order. The whole thing was from my perspective - it just didn't feel like a normal dream!" she insisted, but didn't receive the response she'd sought out. She couldn't say she blamed her mother; this little phone call was a daily routine for the two of them on her walk to work or class. Her dreams were usually a lot more interesting than her work life anyway, and they usually received a better reaction too. But ever since she moved to Manhattan, her dreams had been stranger than normal. Her mother was growing concerned, she could hear it in her voice. Probably anxiety of being away from home for the first time finally creeping its way in. 

On her way down the street she weaved through crowds but managed to catch her shoulder on a woman dressed in yellow. She stopped and turned back, hearing the clang of something hitting the floor. Apologising profusely, she stooped down and swept up what looked like two golden rings attached to each other. She handed it back and apologised again, staring at the woman with a little confusion in her eyes. 

"It's more than alright," the woman she'd bumped into clasped her hand, taking the girl off guard, "what's your name, child?" she asked with such stoic authority, the girl didn't hesitate.

"Peyton," she answered, seeming stunned for a moment as she looked down to find her hand still in the woman's grip. She gave her a nervous smile as she slid her phone into her back pocket and gave her a small nod. "Sorry, again," she offered and stepped back, taking her hand from her grip as the woman turned away, resuming where she'd been going before. 

As Peyton slowly turned around, she realised the woman had left something in her hand and opened her palm to find a small square of paper. Upon further inspection, she read the words of an address for Bleecker Street on there, and flipped it over to find a message on the back. 

"Peyton, are you there?" She heard her mother call and grabbed her phone back out of her pocket in realisation.

"Yeah, Mum, sorry. I'm almost at work, I'll call you later," she answered and walked up the steps to the restaurant she worked at. Knowing she was late, she slipped the paper and her phone into her pockets and hurried into the building to find her apron and clock in. 

~~~

"Are you sure that was her?" The Ancient One pondered as she stepped back into the building, finding Strange by the window, watching the flustered girl jog up the steps of the Mexican Restaurant down the street. 

He turned back to her with promise in his shuttered eyes and gave a sharp nod, "it sounds ridiculous that we're putting the fate of this world into the hands of a child, but she's the only solution," he explained. The cool air of the autumn season crept in through the gaps in the door, creating a draft that wafted a lock of his hair. 

"Appearances can be deceiving, we both know that," she offered and ambled out of the room, leaving Strange to dwell in the silence. He turned back to the window, glancing once more to the restaurant and watching his breath fog up the glass.

"This better work."


	2. 177A Bleecker St

After a chaotic day of work, Peyton forgot all about the little encounter she'd had earlier. She slipped that square of paper in her junk drawer by her bedside and left it to simmer. As she collapsed into her bed, another odd dream befell her. 

Peyton sat on a cliff side enveloped in the most wonderful sky. A distant flow of water. Dusty ground beneath her. And hues of pink, orange and purple mixed together above her in a dreamy galaxy blend, sprinkled with twinkling stars setting a peaceful ambiance. Distant voices with tones of seriousness and distress filled her head, unclear of words but comprehensible on an emotional level. She stepped forward. Before her, a ginormous purple being. Initially, she thought him comparable to the Hulk. Upon closer inspection though, she decided he was much uglier. His lavender complexion did nothing for the wrinkles on his chin, and his beady eyes were filled with all the wrong things. Anger. Hatred. Entitlement.

Beside him stood a green woman with wonderfully dark flowing hair and impeccable taste in fashion. The expression on her face alone was enough for Peyton to assume how she felt. Like she'd rather be burning alive than here. And a few feet from them, a cloaked figure floated, observing the situation at hand. She'd never seen any of these people in her life, but that wasn't much of a shock at this point. She'd had dreams like these before. Aliens weren't much of a stretch. But there was something far more concerning clawing through her mind as she stood among this strange scene. She was being watched...

Chills prickled the back of her neck as she slowly turned her head in the direction that eyes were burning into her. A hauntingly eerie man hovered in the background. Glimpses of velvety red material flashed behind him, a part of his distinguishing outfit flowing in the none existent breeze. Strange black hairstyle with grey sides. He watched with an unreadable expression. And because she was dreaming, she didn't hesitate to approach.

"I don't know what's weirder, those guys, or your outfit," she joked wittily to hide her concern.

He eyed her with intelligence that outweighed her own, yet he still held her gaze as though she were the moon. "There's something so grounding about your generation's dark humour," he commented with a grating tone, "you all think the worst of the world but you don't hesitate to laugh at it."

She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure of why her brain had come up with such a strange saying all by itself. How does one even begin to reply? She shifted. "Yeah, well, if you know you're gonna die, may as well go out without fear...it's kind of a coping mechanism," she responded. She took his momentary silence as a chance to glance back at the situation at hand. The purple giant was crying. The green woman seemed relieved.

When she looked back, the man had flown by her as though the gravity had trouble keeping him grounded. Despite the direction he faced, his voice was refined and perfectly intelligible. "You should find a more responsible coping mechanism. There's not one fixed moment in time that can't be broken by another," he voiced as he began to float towards the cliff. He passed the discussion held between the two aliens. It all seemed to take place in slow motion. Green attempting suicide. Wrinkles pulling Green towards the edge of the cliff. Green being flung from the rock by this villainous creature. All whilst the man she'd spoken to floated from the edge and disappeared into the atmosphere.

Peyton leapt towards the edge of the cliff and dropped to the floor. Her eyes met the body on the rocks far below. Green blood. Huh, weird. Her gut twisted around itself in her stomach. Crisp air flooded in through her lungs. Crumbling red dirt beneath her feet. She knew she was dreaming, but it didn't make it any less real. She could feel the height of the cliff she knelt upon, staring far down at the fatal landing site. She was witnessing a dead body. Nausea crept through her throat.

Her dreams were beginning to entangle with the line between reality and itself.

Peyton awoke with a start, clinging to the sides of her worn mattress. Whilst practicing her breathing exercises, she took in her surroundings. Ghosts lurked in her room when curtains were drawn. Her chair piled with clothes watched her like a looming figure at the end of an alley way. The slippers by her bed clawed at her laminate floor like talons. Ominous warnings called from the ticking of her clock. She climbed out of bed. "That was fucking weird," she muttered to herself as she headed towards the bathroom. 

On the way to class, she called her mother to fill her in on her latest unconscious adventure. With every word, her mother paid less and less attention. She couldn't say she blamed her. But it did sting. Her routine was almost boring now that she'd gotten used to her new life at college. But Peyton enjoyed a constant pattern. She took the same subway to work, the same walk to classes and stopped at the same cafe to order the same drink on her way occasionally. There was no reason for change.

With every passing day, Peyton found it more challenging to ignore her dreams, and her grades paid the price for it. She'd spend her nights viewing the ill fates of seemingly fictional strangers. A group of curious creatures and a human fighting the same purple being she'd seen before, Vision with some of the Avengers in a place she didn't recognise, even Iron Man and Spider-Man flying around on a spaceship. The only constant between all of them lately, was the same man who'd been observing with her. And he always said the same thing...

'There's not one fixed moment in time that can't be broken by another.'

What that meant, she couldn't tell. But he always found a way to slip it into conversation. Even when she actively tried to avoid talking to him just to see what would happen. She even cut down on caffeine at one point. It was useless. The dreams remained just as odd. By the next year, as they'd started to prepare for finals, Peyton still battled with her own mind. They began to consume her every thought. No revision on her part had been done. The thought of failing her class barely crossed her mind. But even her mother seemed to give up on her. They no longer shared a call on the walk to class or work. Her mother blamed it on changing work schedules, but Peyton thought differently.

~~~

She stood on a disintegrating orange planet that seemed to be the remnants of war or famine. Among the hazy view, figures she could distinguish emerged. Some she recognised. Some she knew the names of. Iron Man, Spider-Man, and that man who was always watching with her. But this time, he was a part of the scene. The three of them, with a few others she knew from separate dreams, were fighting Wrinkles like some of them had done before. But this time he was winning. Overpowering them all as though fighting with a baby. Her stomach knotted as she watched the mad giant butcher Iron Man like a piece of meat, about to take his life. He held his frail body in his giant lavender hands. It's funny, Peyton had never viewed Iron Man as frail before. But in the hands of a giant, purple beast, he looked no bigger than she did.

All she could do was watch as the mad giant said a small speech as Iron Man held onto his breath for dear life. But before Wrinkles could finish him off, another man yelled at him to stop. Peyton looked to who had shouted and her jaw dropped. Floating Man! The one who was always stood watching with her. He presented a vibrant, green rock floating between his finger and thumb, offering it away to the reckless being with reluctance heavy in his eyes. Deep down in her gut, she knew this was wrong. Her heart almost beat out her chest, but like a magnet, she was captivated by the stone. Almost as though she were connected to it. 

As she watched the monstrous giant take the stone and drop it into his golden glove, she turned to find another copy of the Floating Man stood beside her. His eyes bore the same heavy pain as he watched the scene commence, and with a subdued expression on his face, he murmured, "there's not one fixed moment in time that can't be broken by another." Then he was gone.

Peyton sat up in bed, head bowed over her legs, trying to make sense of it all. Turning her lampshade on, she opened her wonky junk drawer to search for some sleeping aids, and instead discovered a small square of paper lurking near the back. She brought it into the light, wondering what it might be. '177A Bleecker St'. Her eyes widened. A memory stirred through her head. She flipped it over to read the quote written in cursive on the back. 'There's not one fixed moment in time that can't be broken by another.' Shit. Was she still dreaming? Peyton lost the sleep from her eyes as she jumped out of bed. She placed the card carefully on her desk and fled the room to get dressed. That day after work, she'd go to that address and figure out exactly what was going on. It was the only solution she could come up with that, as far as she knew, wouldn't involve spending any money. 

In the afternoon, once she'd finished her shift, Peyton turned from the subway and towards Bleecker Street, on a mission. She headed down the bustling sidewalk, slipping her hair out of her pony tail to avoid the headache it would always end up giving her. The warm autumn air brushed against her skin, drifting the smell of gas fumes and warm tarmac through the space around her. This was her last resort. Glancing at the slip of paper in her hand to make sure she hadn't read it wrong the first five times, she began counting the numbers on the buildings. 

At the corner of the cobblestone street, Peyton stopped and squinted her eyes as she stared up at the towering building that clearly read '177A Bleecker St'. She checked the note again just in case. A round window with a strange pattern caught her eye as she practiced her breathing exercises again. Inhale for five. She read the address again. Exhale for five. She slowly made her way towards the building. Between two naked, horrifying trees that seemed to belong on the scene of a horror film, stood an old blue wooden door with windows lined by brass. Peyton released her breath for another five seconds, then repeated the process again until she felt steady enough to knock. 

Upon her second tap, Peyton found herself on the inside of the building. She stared down at her black shoes over oak paneled flooring and furrowed her brows. Shadows loomed over everything. She studied the vast, open room filled with relics in glass cases and naked columns. That round window she'd seen from the outside provided the only light leaking into the room. She rested her eyes on it, the sight of daylight giving off the only feeling of safety within the building. 

Chills began to run down her spine as she noticed a silhouette of a person carried by what looked like a magic carpet attached to their shoulders. Her cheeks prickled with a rush of cool air and that small blanket of safety ripped from her like a wax strip. This was worse than any horror movie she'd been forced to watch. "Well, fuck that," she muttered, span around on her heels and promptly made her way towards the door. Even on her darkest days, Peyton would rather have her death fall upon her own hands than somebody else's. Besides, if it was her dreams she wanted fixing, perhaps spending a bit of money couldn't hurt. She would be playing no part in a Paranormal Activity movie.

On another step towards the door, as her foot landed, Peyton found herself once again in a different place to which she began. Her heart clenched as she noticed the staircase by her feet much closer than it was before. Reluctantly, she raised her head to see the silhouette closing in on her, descending the stairs without their feet touching the ground. She backed away. 

"Peyton Okada." A deep, grating voice resonated through her ears, activating her fight or flight. She stared straight ahead at the man, knowing she neither had fight nor flight responses, but the third option. Fawn. She stood like a deer in headlights, wide eyed and terrified, cemented to the floor.

"That's me," she croaked with watering eyes. In times like these, she truly wished she'd listen to what her mother said about staying out of the way of Americans. She watched like a frozen lake as the stranger walked on purposeful, clear footsteps slowly towards her. It was surprising to see him walk at all after the way he descended those steps. 

Finally, he moved into the light, revealing the face she'd been blindly watching for what felt like the past few millennia. Her spirit left her body. She widened her eyes. The slender man's pearly green eyes pierced into hers like icicles with the means of stabbing. At least, that's what she thought. This was no longer a Paranormal Activity scenario she was facing, this was somehow so much worse. This was a man. A million thoughts flew through her mind of how to deter him from raping her. I've got a tampon in, I have a penis, I don't have genitals, I'm actually a ghost. She raced to find the perfect excuse but found the words trapped in her throat as he got too close for comfort. With seconds falling away like pennies through a holey pocket, she stifled the first thing that came to mind. "I'm a tampon." 

He stopped and seemed to study her like he was assessing her physique. "I'm sure you are," he muttered, almost with a look of disappointment in his wisened eyes. If it were up to him, this would not be the way it would've played out. He probably would've saved the universe by now. Why it was going this way was beyond him. But in that moment, it felt as though the universe had given up on him. As if his entire life and everybody else's was a running joke leading to this one plot line. His eyes glazed with intolerance. 

He stepped away to observe a relic before they switched rooms again. Peyton looked around to find herself in an old living room with ancient looking arm chairs and books imported straight from Hogwart's restricted section. "It took you long enough to come here," he raised his voice, striking new conversation. Silence. He turned in the absence of the girl's voice to find her trying not to tremble where she stood. She looked like a defenseless little lamb seeking help to find her mother. He sighed. "You're a lot more talkative in your dreams."

From the way Peyton was standing, she thought she'd poised herself quite well. She attempted to channel confidence, hardening her gaze and spreading her feet just a little bit further apart to show she wasn't afraid of taking up room. She was. But in order to protect herself, she pretended she wasn't. Studying his face again, she realised she knew just who he was. The Floating Man in her dreams, the one that was always observing, always saying that same phrase before he left. Her jaw dropped. "You're real!" she exclaimed, looking at the grey of his hair and the funny shape of his beard. It looked almost like Tony Stark's. She gazed at his clothes and wondered where he found such items.

"Of course I'm real." He rolled his eyes, "everyone else in your dreams is real, why wouldn't I be?"

Feeling as though she were caught in one of her dreams now, Peyton stepped into confidence. "What, even that great big purple thing?" she queried in a tone filled with concern. 

"Yes," he answered, "even that great big purple thing - whose name is Thanos, by the way." Peyton stared at him with a dumbfounded look and he sighed. "Let me show you something." Before she knew it, they'd moved rooms again without having to take a step. 

"Can't we just walk?" she whined as they stood in the darkness of a library. The musty smell of old books filled the air and left Peyton sneezing randomly. He looked down at the necklace hanging low over his neck. Positioning his fingers as though beginning some sort of exotic dance, he crossed his arms over and opened the seal of his necklace. Immediately, it released a vibrant green light. It gleamed in the reflection of Peyton's widened eyes. "Are you sure I'm not dreaming right now?" she breathed, engulfed in the light it was emitting. 

"I can assure you," he mumbled, taking the stone from the necklace so it floated between his thumb and finger, "you're not dreaming."

"This is exactly what happened in my dream last night," she whispered, her eyes never leaving the light of the stone, "except you were giving it to the purple giant...and I don't think you were on Earth."

"Yes, except I haven't done it yet."

Breaking her trance, she furrowed her eyebrows and stared at him seriously. "Well, I don't think you should've done it at all. That Thanos guy, he doesn't seem very trustworthy. And that stone seems really important."

"That stone is really important."

She waved her hands irritably. "Well, don't give it to him."

Shaking his head patiently, he said, "I'm afraid there's no other way. That's a fixed moment in time."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

He locked his eyes on her with the same intelligent gaze. She already knew what was coming... "There's not one fixed moment in time -"

"That can't be broken by another," she finished with shock in her tone, as though this were the final piece of evidence that completed her theory.

He smiled wryly, "so you were listening."

"Well, you said it so many times, it's kind of etched in my brain now." She thought for a moment, "but what are you implying? Are you going to change another point in time to break that one?"

He looked away with a conscience filled with guilt. "No, not me." She stared at him in bafflement. "And not to break that point in time." The air seemed to thicken around them, creating atmospheric tension. Even the lights in the library dimmed in apprehension. The books on the shelves listened with intrigue.

"I'm not following."

He gave a heavy sigh. "Give me your hand," he ordered with a tone holding no room for backchat. Hesitantly, she opened her palm and held it up. With careful movement, he placed the stone down into her palm like a scientist testing out a new element's reaction. She rolled it into her fingers to observe it. 

Nothing happened. She kept her eyes on the luminescent stone, captivated by its glow. "I'm still not following."

"There are very few people in this world that can hold this stone," he notified her. She raised her head cautiously. "But you..."

"Yeah, about me. Why can I hold this and how did you know I could hold it? And whilst we're on that subject, who are you? How can you do all those magic things and why do you visit my dreams every night? I really don't think I'm that interesting of a person for someone to devote themselves to my nightly fantasies. I'm an art history major, my whole aesthetic just screams 'gay librarian'."

He scoffed at her, "I know you can hold the stone because you touched it the night you moved to Manhattan, don't you remember?"

She tilted her head. "It's foggy." Rolling the stone in her fingers, she murmured, "but it does seem familiar."

"Well you're a rather skilled dreamer. In fact, if she were still here, the Ancient One probably would've tried to enlist you by now. Given practice, you'd make a good sorcerer."

"...Thank you?"

He observed her for a moment, trying to figure out a way to put what he was about to say lightly. When he couldn't find a better way, he stepped to another relic he'd never paid much attention to. It looked older than he remembered. "The night you first moved here, you astral projected all the way to this sanctum. I think you were drawn here by the stone." Peyton seemed confused. "I was sleeping at the time, otherwise I would've noticed. You reached out and touched it; I woke up just in time to see you do it. These kinds of stones, they can read people, tell what their intentions are, see your core, that kind of thing. This one decided you were worthy. Since then, I've been monitoring your power," he explained, taking the stone back from her and placing it back in its case. 

Peyton thought for a moment, watching the stone retreat back into its room. She wondered what he meant by 'worthy'. "I've astral projected before, but never consciously. To be honest it doesn't seem that much of a stretch, given what's been going on lately. And wait - hang on," her voice raised, "'monitoring my power'? What the bloody hell does that mean?" As she processed the information, he went on talking. 

"To answer your other questions, my name is Doctor Stephen Strange and I'm the guardian of this sanctum. I'm also a sorcerer, that's how I can do all those 'magic things'. I monitor your dreams because they're visions of the future, a one in which I wouldn't know the circumstances of without you. And 'gay librarian'?" he questioned with a judgemental tone. He raised his chin, "I don't think that's what your aesthetic is screaming."

She widened her eyes at him, suddenly propelling full steam ahead at Identity Crisis Station. Her doubt began to stir. "I don't give off gay librarian vibes?"

"That's what you take from all that? I just told you magic exists."

"Look around, this isn't Hogwarts, is it?" she snapped back with disappointment clear on her face.

He smiled, a touch of snark in his eyes, "you think you're still dreaming, don't you?"

"Obviously."

He turned away, stepping over to some shelves, "sorry to disappoint you."

"Even if I wasn't dreaming..." Peyton followed his lead and began to observe the old books, "why did you want me here? Why did that woman give me this address all those months ago? What use is the future to you if you can't change it?"

"It's my job to protect this reality -"

"Whatever that means."

He turned to her impatiently, "it means keeping everyone on this Earth safe from beings that threaten this world." She opened her mouth to make a remark but he walked towards her like a bull ready to charge, "I can't alter the future because I can't know for certain what's coming. There are millions of different multiverses and every one of them is slightly different to the one we live in. I see all of them; I see millions of different futures that could take place, millions of different ways our world could fall into the hands of someone we don't want it to," he informed her in such a low, gravelly voice, she barely processed his words. But one thing was clear; he was no longer on playful terms with her. "You, on the other hand." He grabbed her arms to make sure she was listening, "you see one future, you see this world's future. You know what's coming, and you have the ability to time travel, you just haven't used it yet."

She stared down at his hands on her skin. They felt warm and soft, but they tremoured slightly. As she observed them, she noticed dark purple lines standing out from his fingers, joining at the centre of his hand as though someone had sliced them open. She began to wonder just what dangers he'd put himself in. She'd seen him in the future; a little speck of what his life is like. He was mysterious. He looked at her with grave warning in his eyes, wiping the smile clean from her face. She blinked. "So, you want me to alter the future. Break a moment in time to fix another," she assumed, finally understanding.

He turned away, hanging his head, "I think it'll be a few more than that, but to put it simply, yes," he answered dryly. 

She imagined it, knowing for certain that she didn't exactly thrive independently. Sure, she could do it well enough to put it on her resume, but the entire universe's fate in her hands? She couldn't think of a single person with that on their resume. She pondered if she could put it on hers after all this. Granted, there'd have to be an after all this for her to put that achievement on her resume. And for that to happen, she'd actually have to save the universe. "Will you come with me? I don't even know what I'm doing. Or what I'm up against. Or how to time travel. But if we go together, I could tell you the future and you could help me -"

Shaking his head guiltily, he looked back to the shelves, "it is my job to protect this sanctum. I can't leave it unprotected."

"Well can't you get someone else to protect it?"

"That's not how it works, Peyton."

She frowned and stared up at him with watering eyes, "well, can -" Before she could finish, a car horn blared from the inside of the building as though sounding off an alarm. Strange flicked his head up and before she could say another word, they moved downstairs in the blink of an eye. Stephen created a golden sparking ring in the space between the floor and the ceiling. He seemed to expand it with the circling of his hand. Peyton could hear the tiny sparks fly as she looked up at the ceiling. A pair of black shoes stood above her for a moment before they dropped into somewhere she couldn't see. Stephen then chucked up a note, identical to the one she'd been given, through the ring as it closed. Silence filled the room.

"Was that...a portal?" she queried as he walked away like nothing had happened. "Who was that?"

"You'll see."

Now significantly bothered, she shifted where she stood. "So, what, you just give your address on a piece of card to anyone you want and expect them to come find you?"

"It's worked every time so far," he answered as he flipped through a book then moved the two of them back upstairs to observe through the round window. 

It didn't take long for a blond haired man to approach the doorway and knock the way she had over an hour ago. He didn't reach the end of his knocking before he was transported into the house by magic and met by Stephen floating once more down the staircase. Peyton quickly began to realise this man had a routine. How basic. Then again, she wasn't exactly one to talk. She watched from the top of the stairs as the two of them communed before they disappeared to a different room. Why does he do that? Sighing, she slowly descended and looked around the spacious building for where he might've taken them next. 

She found them in the living room sitting in the arm chairs. Deciding to ear wig, Peyton soon came to the realisation that he wasn't talking to just about anyone. This was Thor he was talking to. Thor Odinson. Who'd fought with the Avengers twice, who'd saved London the year after he'd fought with the Avengers the first time. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she listened to how he spoke, not what he spoke. As they discussed, she realised both of their voices seemed the same, if she didn't count the accent. Low and calm, sort of gravelly yet holding authority. What she also noticed was that Strange acted a lot more arrogant and dominant around Thor than he had her, as though the superior in the room wasn't obvious and he needed to make it known. It was slightly insulting, but it did make sense. She wasn't exactly a threat to him. She relaxed in the hum of their voices, almost feeling safe before they moved rooms once more and she had to go looking for them again.

By the time she'd found them once more, they were by the staircase. Strange had already configured another portal and Thor was holding an umbrella. Strange created another ring facing the ceiling. She felt the pit of her stomach. The air grew deadly silent. A distant scream growing ever louder resonated through the room before Loki, the man who'd threatened Earth and everyone who existed on it not 5 years ago, dropped to the floor with an angered expression on his face. Peyton stumbled back. She'd seen the whole thing on TV and news broadcasts of the god for weeks after the event. She still had nightmares. Her face heated at the idea that Strange might've seen those nightmares. There was nothing in this world that could get her to approach him. She was surprised she was still in the same room as him. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure she could leave...

"Now where's..." Stephen looked around the room and stopped when he locked eyes with Peyton, who froze once more. She looked like a baby animal, showing the white of her eye, hackles raised, tail between her legs. Why did it have to be her? He smiled and gestured her over, but she shook her head once as Loki got to his feet. She moved to the nearest column. "Consider this a debt you owe me," Strange mentioned, turning to Thor who raised his eyebrow casually.

He side eyed the girl hidden in the shadows calmly and turned back to Strange. "And how can I repay this debt?" he queried, already assuming it had something to do with the young girl watching. Well, she seemed young. Then again, Thor wasn't exactly familiar with the specifics of human aging. She might be thirty. She might be ten. He probably looked like her when he was fifty. It was a long time ago; he couldn't remember. 

Strange's smile grew and he turned back to Peyton, waving a finger at her but when she didn't move, he made a stronger action. "Come on, he won't bite," he smirked, amused by her fear. He glanced over to Loki and back to her. He thought for a moment. Didn't he walk into a nightmare of hers once? The one where Loki tried to steal her heart whilst she was still alive? That was graphic. He hoped that wasn't a vision.

She backed further from the column, darting her eyes over to Loki, who'd now gotten to his feet. Oh hell no. There wasn't enough money in the world to get her closer to that man. "It's not him I'm worried about," she murmured under her breath, but felt her body being dragged forward by an unknown force, right past Loki who was taking his knives out, ready to attack. The metal whistled as it cut through the air, alerting Peyton to stay far away. She gazed between the two men.

"Peyton, I'm sure you know Thor," Strange presented with a formal expression on his face.

Peyton timidly held her hand out. She felt his warm fingers grasp her skin and bring her hand up towards him. That's a funny way to shake a hand. She raised her head to see what he was doing. He leaned forward. Bringing his lips to her skin, he kissed her knuckles like some sort of Disney prince. Well that wasn't weird at all. Her cheeks rushed red and she looked down in embarrassment. Thor smiled at her. 

"Yeah, I know Thor," she voiced quietly and slowly looked over her shoulder. Loki was approaching. Judging the situation. "Peyton is being assigned to save this reality from an imminent threat. She's the only one with the ability to see what's coming, but what she makes up for in that arena, she lacks in, well..." Strange scanned the puny girl and frowned, "every other arena." He turned to Thor who was listening intently, "she needs a partner for this task, and if you're not busy..."

"Saving the world, huh?" Thor confirmed and landed his eyes on the nervous girl who was trying not to hang her head. She definitely had to be young. Maybe Loki's age? If Loki were a human, that is. He began to see her as a potential younger sister. He'd always wanted a sister. And saving the universe together would be a great bonding moment they could have. He smiled again. "I am quite knowledgeable in that arena." His head then turned to Loki, who stopped walking at the look of his brother. He frowned. "But I'm afraid I have other issues to see to right now." 

A little relief spelled over Peyton; she couldn't imagine having to be in the company of a god, giving him orders and information of the future. It was terrifying. Not to mention she'd gotten all nervous the moment he looked at her. 

At that point, Loki stepped forward and put away his knives, forgetting about his little disagreement with Strange for a moment. "This assignment," he mentioned with intrigue, noticing Peyton visibly back into Stephen as he joined the group. He glanced to her, a glare in his eyes, and she shunned from him. Her black hair covered her eyes. "What does it involve?"

Strange immediately changed his disposition at the addition of Loki's voice and shook his head. He gave an annoyed laugh. "Oh no, you are the last person I would send with her," he affirmed. Especially after what you did to her, he wanted to add. Granted, it was a dream. But graphic. So graphic. And Peyton clearly wasn't over it. He glanced down to see her inches away from him. Instinctively, he placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I've changed, Wizard, since my last time on Earth. I think you'll find my dexterity most beneficial if you are intending to save this realm," Loki challenged, a sour look on his face. He glanced to the girl and studied her for a moment. She'd need all the help she could get.

Strange hardened his gaze, "oh yeah? And what's in it for you?"

He chuckled lightly and slowly walked forward, closing the gap between the two of them. Peyton glanced up as a dark shadow smothered her. She felt his warmth as he glared into Strange's eyes. This was not comforting at all. "Why, the commemoration of course. If I'm to save one of the nine realms from destruction, I would be worthy of the title of king," he proposed, feeling the young girl tense in front of him. He snaked his hand down to her arm, drooping his head so he could stare into her eyes. 

Strange gave a wry laugh, "of course, that's the only reason you do anything. The only person you'd ever benefit is yourself. And that's exactly why you aren't going with her." He watched Loki begin to bend to Peyton's height and felt like wrenching her back far away from his reach. Loki matched eye level. She cowered before him. Strange could almost feel Loki about to plunge his hand right through her chest and rip her heart out. He could almost hear her scream.

Thor watched them casually, considering it. "Actually, if it's this reality you're trying to save, and Loki's a part of this reality, he might be one of the finest people you could choose to join Lady Peyton on her mission." He saw Peyton lift her head and glance to him. When he smiled at her, she looked down again. Walking forward, he placed his hand on the girl's head and looked to Strange. "I think Loki and her would get along nicely. They're both around the same age." Give or take a thousand years.

Peyton screwed up her face. In an effort to consider it, she looked to Loki. At the feeling of being watched, he stared down at her with a devious smile, the kind you'd find in a rebellious teenager. In fact, she'd seen it in a few of her classmates. Oh my God, he was right. Loki's one of those rebellious alternative kids who wear eyeliner and listen to punk rock and paint their nails black. Amused, she studied him, imagining it. He'd probably play guitar. The idea of it made her a little less terrified of the god for a while.

Strange turned to Thor in disgust. "Now you're just trying to get rid of him."

At first, Loki assumed he'd like having all of humanity fearing him, running around like rats to carry out any order he threw at them. But seeing the absolute sheer terror in Peyton's eyes, he almost felt guilty, or filled with self hatred. He searched her eyes as she looked up at him once more, sparking for a moment with something other than sheer terror. Slowly, he released his grip from her and straightened up to address his older brother and his new friend.

"Well, I see no other volunteers willing to bet their life on your little friend," Thor contemplated nonchalantly, "and if I owe you a debt, my brother would be more than happy to pay it for me, right Loki?" Thor turned to him and the dark haired man acknowledged him with an unreadable expression. Anything to get out of being dragged to Earth by your older brother to go and take your adopted, absent father, who you trapped under a spell and cast away, home to Asgard. He rolled his eyes and folded his arms. Yes, why not?

Strange turned to Peyton, who stood closely beside him, a small gleam in her eyes. He spoke to Thor as he watched her gain the colour back in her cheeks. "At the end of the day, it's Peyton who's putting her life at risk to save the universe. And if you're not willing to help, then that's your remorse to live with."

She paid attention again when he brought her name up. "I don't even know how to time travel. I really think you should reconsider your options here," Peyton finally expressed, concern clear in her wavering tone. 

He raised an eyebrow in recollection and shook his head. "Oh, that should be easy for you. All you need to do is think about the visions you've seen and make this action with your hand," he explained, moving his hand as though twisting a dial. He watched her stare down at her hand and slowly mimic the movement he made. "But I wouldn't do it right away because I haven't found you a -" Before he could finish his sentence, she vanished from the room. And Loki with her, who'd reached out and taken her shoulder just in the nick of time. 

Silenced filled the empty room. Strange and Thor stared absently at the space where Loki and Peyton had been. Their mouths gaped open, terrible assumptions painting their minds. 

Strange cleared his throat. "Well, we're all doomed," he murmured absently. Before Thor could respond, he pushed the portal right through him and walked away as though none of this had ever happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha this took me far longer to edit than I care to admit. Sorry about that. I'm actually writing this fanfiction out of procrastination of rewriting a different fanfic but it's okay because nobody's reading that one. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone's reading this one either, but this website's kind of growing on me so I'm going to keep posting chapters :)


	3. Galactus

Peyton stared down at her outstretched hand with furrowed eyebrows. Her cheeks prickled red at the idea that she might look stupid and dropped her hand to her side, glancing back up to seek guidance from Strange, but when she looked to where he had been, he was gone. With her heart beating a fraction faster than it had before, she searched the empty room for a sign of Stephen or Thor or anyone. Her breath hitched. Where had they gone?

"As for modes of transportation I've taken..." A subtle, British voice lurked through the air, "that wasn't so terrible."

The horrified girl shot around to see the man dressed in smart, black clothes with dark hair combed over his shoulders. She audibly yelped, smacking her hands over her mouth at the noise she made. He screwed up his face and studied her as though she were vermin to him. "I-I'm sorry," she squawked at the very notion of offending a god who'd previously murdered anyone in his path to rule the planet in which she stood upon. The very air around the powerful man seemed to dissipate as though he controlled the level of oxygen before him. Even her lungs found breathing a rather fleeting task in that moment.

He sneered at her before turning away and taking in his surroundings. "When the wizard told you to think of those visions you seem to be burdened with, does your transient little brain happen to recall which one you imagined?" he pondered after a moment of calculated inspection.

Peyton stood in uncomfortable silence in a moment of consideration. What were this man's true intentions? Strange seemed to assume he only did things in his own self interest. Thor seemed to agree. But she didn't know any one of these men, not really. Even Strange, she'd only met in her dreams. Regardless, trusting Loki didn't seem like the best idea, but leaving him in a time he didn't belong seemed irresponsible and a terrible first impression on the use of her powers. She settled on taking him back to where they'd come from. The future could wait - after all, it seemed she had all the time in the universe to deal with it.

Loki turned back to her when she still hadn't replied and she quickly formed an answer. "I was supposed to be thinking of a few weeks earlier when none of this had happened..."

His mouth gaped open a little and he shook his head, "you sound uncertain."

"But I think I turned my hand the wrong way. I think we went forwards in time a few weeks."

Loki stood in the absence of her voice, processing her words. What's the worse that could happen in a few weeks? He pursed his lips, "well, what do you propose we do, time wanderer?"

Stunned, Peyton jerked her head back. Did he just ask her for orders? A god asking a human for advise? The gears in her head began churning, changing her perspective on how she should be seeing the world. She blinked, "well, I think our first objective should be to get back to where we came from," she decided, stepping gingerly towards the man who took a step away. She widened her eyes. Did a god just step away from her? Peyton began to reconsider the power she now reigned.

"Get back where we came from?" he laughed as though the idea were ludicrous, "and what good would that do? The universe is still being threatened, there's no stopping the inevitable. Clearly someone has to fix it."

She eyed him warily, "yeah, and I will. But not with you."

He brought a hand to his chest, "not with me? Aren't you quick to judge!"

"Well, no offense, but you did threaten every human life on Earth five years ago and tried to rob us of our freedom," she challenged through clenched teeth.

He gave a wry smile, "well, freedom is life's great lie."

"Oh, I've heard the speech. You're not exactly Martin Luther King Jr," she commented dryly, but he shook it off.

"As I've noted once already, I've changed since then. You think yourself able to save this universe on your own, but..." He studied her form with a raised eyebrow and a small smile inching up his face, "I would reconsider your view point. There is no doubt in my mind you don't know the first thing about infinity stones."

"Infinity stones?"

His devious eyes pirouetted in her inexperience. "My point exactly. If there's is absolutely any hope of you saving the universe, it's with me by your side."

Her face wavered like a light switch before she gave him a firm shake of her head. Reminding herself of her power, she held up her gaze. "I don't need you. I need someone who doesn't lack conviction."

Loki grimaced. That sounded awfully familiar. Taking a closer look at the feeble girl beneath him, he noticed a slight grin growing on her lips. The walls of the building noticed the challenge and stirred in anticipation. "I fail to see how conviction has anything to do with this," he mentioned, turning his nose up.

"That's because you lack conviction," she grinned, confident that she was somewhat of a threat to him. The room hollered with entertainment. She stepped forward, hoping to put Loki in his place. High off this new sense of power. To her surprise, he pounced forward and seized her by the shoulders just as Strange had. She yanked her head up to meet his eyes, winded by shock. She iced over, frosted by his gaze. The only thing supporting her weight were Loki's hands on her arms. Her skin burned. She gasped thin air through her throat, taking in the smell of leather and metal.

"Listen closely," he hissed, "Midgardians are a very flimsy race." He pushed her forward. Her back hit a wall and his hand met her neck. Without taking his eyes from hers, he pulled out his knife from somewhere she couldn't see. She attempted a breath but it was extinguished by his grip. Weight pushed her down. 

Slowly, he brought the metal to her face. It glimmered against the light, chilled her skin. "I have a right to the throne," he breathed in a gravelly tone. Carefully running the Asgardian metal over her cheek, he purred, "and I refuse to have my opportunity squandered at the hands of a human." He felt her throat tighten. Her pulse beat heavily against his hand. The fear in her eyes ran circles around him and when he was satisfied she'd understood, he released his hold on her. He stood back as she dropped forward, grasping her throat. "Have I made myself clear?"

Peyton heaved as she crouched below the god. Her eyes welled with tears and black spots blotched her vision. The world no longer stood at the top of her list of priorities. The floor turned from her in disappointment as she lay against it. She barely even noticed Loki's shoes next to her neck.

Weakly, she turned herself onto her back, staring mindlessly at the ceiling with her mouth gaping like a fish. Her face heated like a tomato and tears ran from the outer corners of her bloodshot eyes. As she stared at the distant, oak ceiling, Loki's face came into view. Through her blurred vision, she felt him glaring impatiently at her. Despite her dire circumstances, she could hear herself jeering in her head that she'd just been choked by a god. Before he could go any further and probably step on her, she took a strangled breath and spluttered, "perfectly."

He smiled in triumph as she rolled onto her side, facing away from him. She curled up like a hedgehog and he couldn't help but find it so inexplicably astonishing that she was still alive. Humans were so unbelievably weak. He decided that the Avengers must be the peak of human evolution, and this poor inconsequential girl was at the bottom of the heap. Part of him felt sorry for her. The other part knew the only thing keeping her from being put out of her misery was her power. He moved towards the window and watched groups of loose humans scurrying through the streets like ants. Peyton writhed around on the floor trying to catch a real breath before her body shut down.

When she was capable of breathing again, she'd already understood the rules of time travel. If she were here right now, a few weeks into the future, that meant she'd skipped out on all of her classes. Everyone will think she's dead! Well, that was if anyone noticed her to begin with. She wasn't exactly the most able at socialising and found time spent alone far more productive and comfortable than time in someone else's company. But that also meant she had overdue assignments she hadn't touched, and professors who knew she existed because they had her emails as evidence. And if that's not bad enough, her rent was probably due. She whined as she straightened up, rubbing her sinuses.

Loki turned from the window, "what is it?"

She pulled herself up to a sitting position, knees to her chest in a moment of mental weakness. "I need to go."

"Where?" he demanded, and when she didn't reply he followed her through the door.

She raced down the street, deciding against getting the subway since Loki wouldn't have any money on him. He followed comfortably at her pace, in fact he probably found it slow, but she was going as fast as her much smaller legs could carry her. Besides, she had almost been asphyxiated, he had to cut her some slack.

When she reached her building, she took the elevator up and zoomed into her room without being seen. As per usual. Stepping inside, she found herself grateful that she'd managed to keep the place tidy for as long as she'd been there. She'd never once had a guest round, but there was always a chance someone might see the interior of her tiny room. And today was that day.

Her shadow slowly stepped around the room, taking his time to examine the objects she kept whilst Peyton ran towards her windowsill and wailed when she found what she'd been looking for.

Loki, who'd been observing the small Thor shrine on her desk, walked up behind her. He inched forward, almost leaning over her shoulder at the tiny windowsill to see what was wrong. She was cradling something in her hands. He glanced to her face and found tears in her eyes yet again. Does this human ever stop crying?

"Gal, I'm so sorry," she murmured in a grief-stricken tone that poked concern into Loki's mind. He stepped closer, wondering what it was. Perhaps a pet sparrow? A butterfly she was rehabilitating?

"What is it?" he questioned, looking over her hands to observe a faded, decaying cactus in a tiny plant pot. He frowned in disappointment. In fact, he almost batted it out of her hand.

Peyton broke into tears at the poor state she'd left her plant in. She'd vowed to keep it alive since it was gifted to her by her father back in 2015. It was the last thing he'd given her before he died. "My cactus," she howled, reaching for her spray bottle of water she'd upcycled from a perfume bottle. "I'm supposed to water it every -"

"Your worthless plant can wait, it looks as though we have bigger issues to deal with," Loki cut her off, staring off into the distance where chaos flooded the streets.

Peyton stared up at him with wet eyes. In a tone filled with woe, she sobbed, "what could be bigger than Galactus the cactus? I've taken care of her for three years and now she's dead!" she howled in aching pain as Loki continued to stare, unaffected.

"I could come up with a thousand things more important than an ugly plant no bigger than your hand. But this one seems more pressing than most," he exclaimed and guided her eyes to the view through her window. Hundreds of people were fleeing the streets, tripping over each other to get out of the site of danger. Above, in the sky hovered a flying metal doughnut spaceship that stood out like a sore thumb.

She sniffed awkwardly, calming her tone. "Oh, okay, that might be a bit more dire," she mumbled, but grabbed a small shoulder bag and placed her plant and spray bottle securely in it. "I'll do this on the way." With that, they both raced out of the building and towards the direction everyone else was running from. Peyton had never strayed so far from her comfort zone in her life. Wind whistled through her short, black hair, drying her eyes out and the tears off her face.

The two acquaintances arrived at the heart of the attack on Manhattan to find four men stood before a lanky alien threat giving a devoted speech like some Christian preacher. Definitely alien. He seemed nimble on his feet and his cloaked grey skin gave him an eerie facade. Peyton crept around him with fear leaving her feet numb. Cold spells painted her skin and chilled it in the spring breeze as she attempted secrecy in broad daylight. She watched as a man stepped forward and told 'Squidward' to get lost and found it surprising when the alien didn't reply. In fact, the whole world stopped screaming. As she peered around the cars, she found the alien frozen in place, like a lake in wintertime.

Furrowing her eyebrows, for a moment, she considered if this alien threat was a robot made by the government to control populations. Then, upon realising that not only was the alien frozen, but many others were too, she summed it up to a third party. Gathering herself, she checked her surroundings to see who wasn't frozen and found that the four men were still moving, and judging by the warmth by her left side, Loki was still moving too. She turned to him, studying his pale complexion as he determined his surroundings. Hearing the four men begin to mutter between themselves, Peyton snapped back into reality and straightened up, walking out from the parked cars towards the shifting group.

At the sight of movement, the four men shot their heads around to see a small Japanese girl walking out from the cars with an awkward smile on her face. At the recognition in Strange's eyes, she felt more comfortable approaching the threatening team.

"It's okay, she's with me," Strange assured the other men who all looked back towards him for confirmation. He stepped away from the group and met Peyton halfway, glancing around before murmuring, "so this is where you went? How long have you been here? Is Loki still with you?"

Peyton nodded her head and reached for her bag still at her side. "Yeah, we just got here," she answered, taking Galactus the cactus out from her bag and spraying the soil with a fair dose of water to try and revive the poor thing. Strange watched with a raised eyebrow but chose not to address the plant.

"Where is he now?" he asked, his tone sponging the air with every doubt and concern he had for the rebellious Asgardian prince. Even the wind had stilled around them. Birds had flocked from the site upon attack, but the silence around them was more than just lack of bird song. New York was on stand still.

She placed Galactus carefully back into her bag. "Shouldn't he be the least of your problems now? And he's right behind me if you want him back. He's already threatened to kill me once," she admitted, jerking her thumb over her shoulder to where Loki was observing from afar. He saw it as his cue to appear and slowly emerged from the cars, ambling towards the situation at hand with a cautious smile on his face. He opened his palms as he strutted over to Strange.

"So you haven't faked your death yet," Strange mused as Loki stopped a few inches from Peyton's side.

Loki gave a wry smile and cocked his head, "why, I was simply disproving your theory that I only make sacrifices that benefit myself," he challenged, hints of arrogance in his refined tone.

Strange easily matched his demeanour and raised his chin. "Oh yeah? So what were you doing earlier? Threatening her life for the greater good of the universe?" he mocked in a thick American accent coated with unapologetic bashfulness. His eyes narrowed as Loki glanced to Peyton for a moment.

As though it were obvious, he chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Now, that was merely a misunderstanding," he laughed, placing his hand over Peyton's shoulder, "I would never do anything to harm her."

His hand on her body set Strange's teeth on edge. "Oh, I'm sure," he spat satirically as Peyton slowly placed Galactus the cactus back into her bag.

Loki gave a small chuckle and looked around to make a point, "I don't see what you've achieved from any of this. It seems as though you're putting all of the responsibility in the hands of an ignorant mortal."

"There was no other way," Doctor Strange growled, "she's the only one who can see the future of this reality," he reminded him, stepping closer to the man as though he were sizing him up.

"Okay, can we keep to the matter at hand here, please?" Peyton begged after she'd shut her bag. Before she could insult them both for arguing about her right to her face, a brown haired man stepped away from the group. She caught a glimpse of him and instantly recognised him as the world renowned owner of Stark Industries and engineer of the Iron Man suit. She held her breath in the hopes of concealing a shrill squeal.

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" he spoke aloud, the imminent sass on his tongue speaking for itself, "are you fraternizing with the enemy, Strange? And who's this, your love child?" he presumed, causing Peyton's cheeks to light up red. Half from second hand embarrassment for the two people he'd just roasted and half for herself simply because she'd been noticed by an Avenger.

"For the record, I'm no longer Midgard's most wanted," Loki attempted a meager apology as Peyton glanced to Strange for guidance.

Tony wafted him away, "yeah, I don't care about your little changed man speech there, Scar. Does someone want to explain what's going on? Why are we in a freeze frame right now?" he called out impatiently, uncomfortable with the fact that he was out of his depth.

Both Peyton and Strange glanced to the man uncertainly as he whipped off his glasses to stare them right in the eye. Loki shrugged and pointed to Peyton who seemed mostly innocent and unaware. She would've gotten away with any accusation if Strange wasn't studying her the way he was.

She finally glanced up at him with an impatient, uncomfortable stare. "What!" she hissed, feeling under pressure in a situation she wasn't planning on being in that day.

"You did this," he hissed back as though it were obvious.

They both began whispering harsh arguments back and forth to each other, Peyton being set on the idea that she was certain she didn't do it because she didn't know how. Strange insisted she was doing it unconsciously and she finally gave in.

"Look, I'm - I'm sorry to interrupt, but..." A deep, uncertain voice tuned into the conversation. Peyton snapped her head away to see a grey, curly haired man awkwardly shifting forward and turning to Loki with great sympathy. "Loki," he uttered with sore pain enticing his words.

Loki stepped back in shock, and what seemed like an ounce of doubt and intimidation. His green eyes widened. "Doctor Banner," he replied after clearing his throat, glancing around him for a moment. "Last I heard, you'd fled from the Avengers on a ship. Where have you been?"

Bruce fumbled for a moment, "uh, it's a long story...I was with Thor..."

Surprised, Loki bit into the conversation. "And where is he now, my brother?"

His eyes flooded with an ocean of hopelessness. Unable to hold his gaze, his head dropped to the floor. "Thor is...I think he's - dead," he admitted through a sorrowful tone. When he glanced back up, he watched the shock vanish from the unreadable man's face. "We were heading to Earth and another ship hijacked ours. Thanos. He killed almost everyone. I only got away because..." he drifted off, unable to finish his sentence. He began to shake and stepped back, fiddling with the cuffs of his blazer sleeves.

Peyton glanced up to Loki sympathetically, noticing behind his facade, glass shattering in his eyes. Despite her deadly fear of him, instinctively, she reached out and took his hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

He barely noticed at first, but finally glanced down to her small hand clasping his and viciously snatched it away. "He was bound to die so quickly," he mentioned as though he'd been expecting it, "I'm only sorry it wasn't by my hands."

Peyton's face screwed up in sickened horror. She knew his words weren't true, but the very concept hurt her existence. What an awful thing to say!

Bruce just stepped away nervously, back to Tony's side who patted his shoulder for comfort. "Look, are we going to do anything about this broken clock thing or are we just lying in this bed now?" he reminded the two of them impatiently.

Strange resisted the urge to roll his eyes and took Peyton's shoulder, facing the two of them away from everyone else. "You need to concentrate. I know you're scared, but it's just one alien. We've dealt with much worse, let us take it from here. You have bigger problems to deal with," he uttered with a strong, authoritative tone filled with belief.

Peyton shifted, but nodded her head. "Yeah, okay. Cool cool cool cool, no doubt no doubt no doubt no doubt," she muttered. "Just give me one minute." She sprang up, turning around to Bruce. "Mister Bruce - uh, Doctor Hulk - Banner - sir," she slipped up and watched him flinch in second hand embarrassment. "Sorry, just - you were saying about Thor and everyone. How long ago did that happen?"

Strange quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, muttering in her ear, "Peyton, you can't save everyone. This isn't the real fight."

"Oh yeah? Bet," She locked eyes with Bruce who hesitated as he thought back.

"I don't know...uh, an hour or two ago," he responded.

"Okay, thanks," she smiled to the nervous man and turned back around to leave.

Strange tried again, "Peyton, I really don't think it's wise -"

"Hey, chill, you got bigger problems to deal with," she cut him off, turning around to see the giant Squidward speak as though nothing had happened at all.

With that, she stepped away from the situation and glanced up at the sky, noticing the giant metal spaceship still there. As she walked, Loki caught up with her and sent her a worrisome gaze.

"What's your plan?"

"My plan is for you to stay here and leave this to me. I'm going to get your brother back," she informed him, attempting to keep a distance between the two of them. Her throat tightened.

He stayed silent for a moment. "Why? He's dead, let him stay that way. He means nothing to me, there would be no reason to bring him back."

"Oh, I don't care what he means to you," Peyton snarled, his rude actions still on her mind, "I care what he means to everyone else. And we need him, so I'm getting on that ship, flying to where they were hijacked and going back a few hours to save everyone." She quickened her pace to try and leave him in her dust. Of course, he towered over her, she wasn't going anywhere without him.

"Wow, what a flawless plan, brilliant really. And how, might I ask, are you going to hijack the ship, or get to where they crashed if you've never even left this realm before? Or go against one of the most powerful beings in the universe to save a small population of Asgardians?" he ranted, relishing in the fact that he was almost always going to be right around her.

She glared at him but finally sighed. "Okay, fine. I need Bruce to Hulk out, get me and him on that ship and he'll take me there because he'll know where it is."

"Or, even better, you do nothing about it and don't get yourself killed trying to steal Thanos' ship," he offered, but received nothing but a glare in return.

"Even better idea than that, why don't you do nothing about it because it's obviously in your own self interest to stay here and keep safe whilst I do all the heavy lifting."

He stopped walking and she stopped with him. Glancing at her neck, he noticed red marks beginning to take shape over her pale skin. An ounce of guilt weighed him down. "You'd die instantly without me."

"I beg to differ," she challenged, sprinting back in the direction they'd left from only to find the wizards forming orange portals with their hands again. She stopped as Iron Man flew off down the street in his new suit. Loki almost crashed into her. Taking a moment to study the situation, she acted quickly and fled forward into the portal.

Peyton landed clumsily on a small patch of grass not too far from where they'd been. She smiled in triumph as she noticed she was still on her feet. With a new sense of confidence, she turned around to find Bruce, only to feel an avalanche on her back. She dropped to the floor with a thud, hearing her bones jolt in her ears as she face planted the floor.

As she groaned in agony, she felt a hand either side of her, pushing themselves off of her body. She turned around in the grass as they stood up. The sunlight shone just over their head, silhouetting their features as they bent down and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet in one simple movement. She glanced over to Loki with a glare and dusted herself off to avoid having to look at him. That was the second time today he'd almost killed her.

He looked as though he were about to say something when she walked straight past him towards Bruce who was struggling to Hulk-out. Loki stood back, unwilling to be in close proximity of the green man.

"Doctor Bruce sir! I need you to do me a big favour," Peyton exclaimed as she approached him on his own, cornered between two trees. He widened his eyes and backed away.

"Yeah - uh, sorry, I don't know you," he panicked, "what do you need?"

She shot him an innocent smile and glanced up to the ship. "I need you to Hulk out and get me up there."

"Peyton it's truly unw-"

"Shut it Loki, you're not a part of this," she snapped without taking her eyes off of Bruce.

He shook his head in surprise. "Uh - I don't know if you've noticed but I'm having a hard time...getting the Hulk to come out," he mentioned, waving a hand around before he brought it to his glasses.

"That's exactly the situation I was in three years ago with my parents," she tutted, turning away to look for other options when Spider-Man flew into the scene and attacked a giant alien monster. A knowing grin grew on her face that made Loki firmly shake his head. A taxi flew by their heads and landed a few feet from them in the grass. Loki ignored it.

"No. No! There are insolent ideas and then there's this. I mean honestly, how stupid can you -" Before he could finish his sentence, Spider-Man swung away on his webs after Doctor Strange, and Peyton was on his heels. Loki scoffed and ran after her.

Through light, dense streets, Spider-Man swung from building to building, the windows beside him catching in the light of the sun. He was barely aware of the girl beneath him, running at full speed to keep up. The rushing air bolted through his suit. As he reached Doctor Strange, a crumpled billboard smacked into his face and sent him crashing to the ground like an ant beneath a boot. It flattened not one, but two humans. Peyton groaned at the sheer force of the hard metal against her face. Spider-Man managed to endure most of the blow.

"Not cool!" he yelled, throwing the billboard off of him. After glancing over to the civilian who was climbing to her feet, he made to throw another web. Peyton grabbed his wrist.

"Wait!" she cried, tugging him back so he looked at her, "before you go, I need you to get me up there." Her finger poked the sky, pointing directly above them at the shiny, metal death donut flying in the middle of the sky. She couldn't see his expression, but she could definitely hear it in his voice.

"Lady, are you insane?" he cried in horror, once again turning away to find Doctor Strange, "I have to go."

"Rescue Stephen? Yeah, I know, but...wait -" she paused for a second and decided now would be a good time for hindsight. She'd already seen how this moment plays out. Strange, Stark and Spider-Man all end up on the ship together. All she needed was to get Bruce and find a way up there. She glanced up to Spider-Man, who was waiting impatiently on a reply. "Okay, you go after the doc, I'll meet you back here with Bruce in a jiffy."

He stopped, stunted. "A jiffy?"

"Go!" she yelled then turned away to retrieve Bruce and get the two of them safely onto the ship. 

Peyton didn't hesitate. She ran back the way she'd came, almost smacking into Loki on the way. Bruce stood by the other wizard who'd been with Doctor Strange earlier. He was grimacing at a giant severed hand laying limp on the ground. She hopped over it as she reached him. 

"Bruce!" she exclaimed, seizing his arm and taking him away from the situation. He barely had time to process her words when Iron Man looked up to see a beam appearing from the ship above them. It seemed to reverse the gravitational pull on Doctor Strange and Spider-Man, who were now floating up the sky towards it. Peyton sighed, "well, there goes our ride." She glanced back at Iron Man, who was about to launch. "But all hope's not lost yet," she mumbled, dragging Bruce towards the metal man and clinging onto his legs as he lifted off the Earth. 

As her feet left the ground, she heard a loud scream. She shut her mouth, only to discover that the noise wasn't coming from her. "What the hell did you do!" She glanced down to Bruce, who was on Tony's other leg, slipping in the force of the motion. Peyton laughed nervously. Iron Man glanced down to the two of them. 

"FRIDAY, I'm feeling a little resistance - AH!" he exclaimed, staring down at two people clinging onto his legs for dear life. They were so far from the ground, the buildings had gone 2D. "Why are there stowaways on my SUIT!" he roared as he shot up further into the sky, about 50 metres from the ship.

Peyton glanced to Bruce, "are you finding it hard to breathe? I'm finding it hard to breathe."

Bruce barely looked at her, too worked up on the fact that his palms were sweaty and he was slipping from the metal like butter on glass. "I'M GONNA FALL A MILLION FEET TO MY DEATH! BREATHING IS NOT MY HIGHEST PRIORITY RIGHT NOW!" he cawed through the rushing air, slipping to Tony's ankle as the metal man reached down and pulled the man up.

"DON'T YOU DARE SLIP BANNER, I DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA PARACHUTE," he screamed at him as he flew quickly towards the donut where Spider-Man was ripping off his mask, complaining about the lack of air to his lungs. As he dropped from the ship, a new suit enveloped him, metal like Tony's and obviously an upgrade. He landed a little further down the donut.

"Okay, new plan," Stark noted as he floated just above the ship where Spider-Man was so Peyton could reach out and hold onto the walls. He clung onto Bruce. "Pete, grab hold of her, I'm sending you home," he ordered as Peyton's vision began to blur. 

Despite breathing, she felt herself suffocating on thin air, losing her vision and hold on the ship. She flew back, falling towards certain death before something grabbed her. It must've been a machine because no natural person could catch someone so easily and pull them back like a sack of potatoes. Peyton forced her eyes open for a moment to see Spider-Man's new shiny face a few inches before hers. He's a robot. Got to be. Nothing else makes sense. With that, she passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew this took way longer to write than I first thought. I'm very excited for where this is headed though :)))  
> This fanfic already has way more views than it would on Wattpad so thank you so much for the kudos! I don't know what they are but I very much appreciate them :D


	4. King of Narnia

Peyton awoke again with a large inhale, finding the unlimited air source to her lungs a great appreciation. Taking in her surroundings, she realised how much darker the world was now, and how blue and cold it seemed. She looked around for Bruce or Tony, but was surprised to find a red metal head hanging upside down right in front of her, his finger to his lips. The light of the ship caught in the red, reflecting back in her eyes. She cocked her head to the side, but decided against complaining. She was right where she needed to be.

Right where she needed to be, she realised, in a spaceship leaving Earth. If Peyton listened hard enough, she could hear the distant chatter of that alien, Squidward. He was talking to Strange. Torturing him. From where she was, Peyton could distinguish muffled cries. Despite never hearing the doctor cry out in pain before, something in her gut told her it was him. Instinctively, she stood up to her feet to try and rescue her new mentor, but was pulled back by Spider-Man and his metal hand. He gestured her back to the wall. Cool air brushed past her in the wide open space. The ship was one giant air vent, and Peyton was still dressed in her work clothes, a plain black T-shirt and denim jeans. She was relieved to have left her apron and hat at work, but figured she should've brought a jacket for where she was going. Space might be cold. Scratch that, space will be cold. 

Spider-Man swung down from the beams above like a ballet dancer and landed gracefully next to Peyton. He seemed hunched in himself like a tortoise the moment he landed, perhaps attempting to be a little more discreet. The red on his suit did tend to stand out. "Just wait a minute," he pleaded willfully in a low voice, "Mr. Stark doesn't know we're here yet and I'm figuring out the right time to tell him." As he spoke, Peyton realised for the first time that this was a kid talking to her. It was obvious he was still a young teenager, maybe fifteen at most. She cringed. If everything were to go wrong, if she couldn't save everyone on this ship, she'd have a fifteen year old's blood on her hands. He still had his whole life ahead of him. She studied him a little harder, the shiny metal armour around his lean body, the bright white eyes staring into her soul. A teenager, she thought, already devoting his life to the world. He's basically fresh out the womb, and yet, how selfless he had to be. Her gaze softened. 

For a moment, she almost succumbed to her weakness. Peyton had always been a sympathetic kid. Her mother had warned her time and time again it would be her downfall. She once skipped a whole day of school to nurse a half-dead bird back to life she'd found on the pavement. It was obvious, when she arrived back home early, that her mother was not proud. Her father, on the other hand, beamed at her with pride and helped her house the bird. They spent her day off school fetching supplies for the pigeon and fixing in a heat lamp above its head. The poor thing only lasted a few days, and she could see her dad trying to hold back tears to teach her about how life and death works. They'd both hoped for the best. She couldn't say the same for her mother, though. She could see the satisfaction in her eyes, already preparing the lecture about how she should've left it there to die. Peyton learned to repress her feelings a little more after that day. And even more after her father died. 

Peyton furrowed her eyebrows at Spider-Man, regaining her demeanour. "I don't think there is a right time to tell him," she mused with a touch of British sarcasm. If there was a right time, he'd missed it. She turned around in the open space to peer down at the centre of the ship where Strange was being held victim to some sort of spiky contraption. Then she moved her gaze to Tony and Bruce, watching from the platform below them. Bruce's curly grey locks caught her eye for a moment and she leaned down. She liked Bruce. The thought of him made her laugh. They used to teach about his findings in her school, how he was an inspiration to this generation. The way they spoke of him, you'd think he'd have more confidence. It certainly seemed that way at the time. Looking at him now, the way he would flinch at every little thing, his nervous fidgeting, the way he stuttered when he spoke. It was amusing to see a middle aged white man with such fame act the way he did. She loved it. The rest of the world might love Dr. Bruce Banner for his intelligence, but Peyton loved him for his humbleness. 

As she was about to drop down to the two, something warm wrapped around her wrist and pulled her into them. Whatever it was, their skin was soft and smooth. Then again, so was a snake's underbelly. Expecting an alien, Peyton turned around with disgust, assuming a bite. Her emotion immediately molded to impatience at the sight of silky, black hair. "Loki!" she whispered harshly. He watched her with a stoic nobility, as though he'd been ordered to be there. Spider-Man's white eyes somehow widened. He froze and broke apart like the Titanic. Peyton was far past that stage. "How did you even-"

"I was with Strange when was transported to the ship," he cut her off impatiently, "how did you?"

Glancing uneasily over to Spider-Man who was now cowering beside her, she mumbled, "we hitched a ride." Louder now, she insisted, "I still fully intend on travelling back, I just need to rescue Strange first." Loki followed her gaze over to the alien who was still pushing spikes into the wizard like some sort of warped version of acupuncture. 

He grimaced as he stood next to her and peered down. "Well, haven't you seen this all before? What happens next?" The deadpan look on her face said it all. Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, catching a glimpse of the thing dressed in shiny red armour cowering away from him. He raised an eyebrow and looked back to Peyton whose pale skin was beginning to tint pink despite the cool air.

"You really expect me to remember? It was months ago!"

He shushed her. "Well, don't you record them?"

"Yeah, quite frankly, I do record them," she grumbled through the embarrassment. "You know you're lucky I'm a huge spiritual geek who's been writing down her dreams since she was nine." 

Loki raised an eyebrow at the commitment, "well, good. Where -"

Her look shut him off. "You really think I'm the kind of person to walk around everywhere with my dream journal? I didn't even know I could see the future until this morning! This morning! Which was weeks ago!" she fumed, unaware of Spider-Man lifting up a hand as though he were in a classroom. 

"Uh - sorry, Mister Loki, sir. Uh, lady, ma'am, um -"

Peyton snapped her head over towards Spider-Man and felt her face flush. Lady? Ma'am? She'd never felt so mature. Despite being a waitress, she'd hardly ever received such formality. Usually it was a snap of the fingers, an 'oi', or a 'hey', if she was lucky, maybe an 'excuse me'. She'd come to find very quickly that a lot of Americans weren't so nice when they didn't have to be. Obviously there were polite ones too, just not as many as she'd hoped.

Flustered, she smiled awkwardly to him. "It's Peyton."

"Miss Peyton - did you say you can see the future?" Spider-Man queried nervously, still cowering away from Loki. She couldn't blame him. His presence was very threatening. He'd already almost killed her twice and she'd only known him a day. Or was it a few weeks? 

Perhaps she wouldn't need a jacket after all, if she had embarrassment and anger to keep her warm. Spider-Man and Loki seemed to be all she needed for that. "Oh, you can just call me Peyton. And, uh, yeah," she responded softly, fumbling with her shoulder bag, "I have visions of the future when I dream." Pushing her straight black hair out of her face, she smiled reassuringly to the boy. 

"Which is of no use to us if she can't remember," Loki added, stood shoulder to shoulder with her. Or, because of the height difference, arm to arm. She held herself like an ant below him; it was like a personal insult for him to be so close when he towered so far above. An urge to kick him where it would really hurt befell on her but she restrained herself. Even if he had already tried to kill her twice. She would be the mature one in this situation.

Elbowing him seemed to be the next best thing. In fact, she almost did it. He deserved it. He'd already strangled her, dropped his entire body weight on her, put a knife to her throat. She agreed with herself, he did deserve it. And with that, she elbowed him. Her elbow collided at a perfect angle to his ribs and she felt him jolt in surprise. He leaned away and stared down at her in shock, but a small smile tugged at his lips at the realisation that she'd stood up to him. She glared up at his cheeky smile resiliently, "I can still remember some stuff," she mumbled, "but it was different last time. Me, you and Bruce weren't there before...and I got really interested with the control panel and stopped watching for a minute -" Without realising, Peyton and Loki had grown significantly louder in their argument.

"Would you two shut up!" a man's voice hissed. The three of them on the platform froze. Peyton gave a wide eyed stare and slowly turned her head to look below. Tony was staring up at them with a stern expression on his face that faltered as though he'd been zapped by a taser. "Wait - Peter!"

The air around them stiffened. "Mister Stark, I-" Spider-Man launched forward into Stark's disappointment.

Stark looked away, "I don't wanna hear it -"

Desperately, he jumped down and stood in front of him earnestly. His mask flew right from his face without care. "Listen, it was such a long way down and I had a new suit and I was worried for Peyton's life! I didn't think she'd make it until we got to the ground and the spaceship was right there so I-"

Tony turned away and shook his head as Bruce stepped out of the shadows and locked eyes with Peyton. His skin grew pale and eyes wide. "You -"

Once again, Peyton's face flushed. She raised her hand in front of her to express her intentions. "I - hey - I'm sorry, okay! You wouldn't Hulk out so I had to improvise. I needed you on here -" She jumped down to confront him.

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows with a touch of curiosity behind his strict gaze. "Why? Why did you need me?" he demanded, genuinely. As he spoke, Strange's cloak flew by them in a human-like manner. Neither of them acknowledged it.

Flustered, Peyton turned to Loki as Peter and Tony continued arguing in the background. "Well, you know where Thor and everyone was when Thanos ambushed you and I was thinking..."

"You..." Bruce shook his head. He wasn't entirely certain on this girl's powers but she was stood close to Loki. And Loki was trouble. Bruce hadn't seen him since the battle of New York, but he remembered. "No!" he affirmed strictly, as though he were telling a puppy not to beg. It had the same kind of result. He glanced desperately over to Tony, who was having the same trouble with Peter, and tried to take some cues from him. When Tony's mind was made up, it was made up. When Bruce's mind was made up, Tony always managed to undo his knot. "I'm not going to space again. Thor's already done this to me once, I am not going through it again."

"This is different!" Peyton begged, "this isn't Asgard, this is the Universe! Please, you need to help me!" She reached out and took his arms. Her eyes managed to fill with tears at the very idea that she was this close to Bruce Banner. Or maybe it was the fact that the universe could be destroyed at any moment. Either way, it made her eyes sparkle in the vibrant light of the ship. In her peripheral vision, she could see Tony drag Peter over to where they could see Strange and gesture something to him.

At her plead, Loki jumped swiftly down next to her and opened his mouth, "I'm helping."

She wafted him away with her hand, "you're hitchhiking."

"Oh, and you're not," he grumbled back.

At that retort, Peyton blocked him out of her vision and focused on the one important person on the ship. "Bruce, please! You just need to take us to where you were!"

"I don't even know where we were!"

Peyton rolled her eyes, "a scientist with seven PhD's should know whereabouts in space he was."

Bruce paused for a moment. The soaring of the ship dissipated in his head for a moment. Everything seemed to fade out of existence. "How did you know I have seven PhD's?" He acted unfased, but secretly he was grateful someone was finally commenting on his work as a scientist.

"Anyone who goes to school knows you have seven PhD's. You're one of the most famous scientists alive," she mentioned dismissively, as though it were fact.

His mouth hung open. His deep brown eyes filled with astonishment. As he went to reply, Tony passed by the three of them, "better hold onto something. Kid's got a plan."

Loki and Peyton looked between themselves before smoothly walking towards a beam running down the ship. She glared at the god, "hey, my beam, I found it first."

He simply glared at her. "Remember what I told you earlier, midgardian?" he hinted with a chaotic spark in his eye. A knife glimmered in his hand once more. She clenched her jaw, hesitated, but gave in. She may be able to elbow him, but fighting him weaponless might be a step too far. Huffing, she turned to look for something else to hold onto. The ship was full of random shelves, bars and platforms sticking out of the walls, but there was nothing within close vicinity that seemed to have a good, sturdy hook to hold onto. 

As she looked around for a new lifeline, an inhumane force gripped onto her body, ripping her back, giving her whiplash as she flew through the air at racing speed. In front of her, Bruce's legs flew horizontally, growing ever smaller as she fell closer and closer into the vacuum that pulled her away. For a moment, Peyton's life flashed before her eyes. Not only hers, but the entire universe's. Everyone was depending on her, whether they knew it or not, and it was then that it truly dawned on her the sheer amount of pressure and responsibility she was under. The whole universe was about to fall into peril, but before she could get swallowed whole, something latched around her arm and jerked her up as it locked onto a pole. The world fell back into focus. She blushed at a flash of metal glimmering in her eye, hoping it was Iron Man, but when she looked, vibrant shades of green filled her vision. Loki's armour was somehow fading over him like a spell as he held onto a beam with one hand, her in the other, floating freely. He locked her gaze in a comforting sort of fashion that kept her calm until Tony had sealed the hole up. The moment the air stilled, Loki instantly let go, just in time for Peyton to flop to the floor.

She groaned as Loki walked by her. "Don't say I never did anything for you," he noted as she got up and watched him leave. Confused and dazed, she stood to her feet and, after regaining her balance, jumped down another platform to greet Strange. The cloak passed by her and settled onto his shoulders. Strange readjusted himself then gave her a stern glance.

"I warned you against this."

"And I said bet. Now look where we are. I have Bruce, and this idiot, and we're gonna save a bunch of Asgardians," she claimed proudly, turning around to Bruce who seemed doubtful and nervous about the entire ordeal. "I know you know the coordinates, Bruce. Just come with me and show me how to fly an alien spaceship and I'll-"

"And, that's enough from you, whoever you are," Tony butted in, knowing inexperience when he saw it. "How about you and Pete go over there and play in a sandbox and let the adults handle it, okay?" He turned back to Strange and Bruce as Peyton stood there, stunned. Loki's smirk burned her back and she glared at him harshly.

"Um, I'll have you know, tin man," Peyton sassed as Iron Man moved by her, "that I stopped playing in sand pits three years ago! Now give me the scientist and you can go sit in a corner and play with your metal," she sassed, reaching towards Bruce, but Tony stood in the way with a parental glare. Peyton hadn't seen that look in a man since her dad. Her eyes widened. A whirlwind of anxiety butterflies flew in her stomach. She didn't know if she wanted to hug him or rebel against him. If he called her kiddo, she'd melt.

"You don't even know how to drive a car, let alone fly a spaceship. You're out of your depth. Bruce stays with me," he stated firmly.

Her decision was made. Rebel. "Hey! You don't know that! I could drive a car! Give me Bruce!"

"But you don't. And no! My Banner!"

Peyton's glare sparked a flame. She clenched her jaw. As her fists balled, Bruce stepped over.

"As much as I appreciate being wanted, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions," he muttered as Stephen rubbed his temples. He looked to Peyton through the darkening lights of the ship. They were heading further and further into space. The lights were growing bluer. "I'll help you. I can remember the coordinates."

Her face lit up. "Brilliant! Come with me - Loki, you come too. The control panel's just over here."

Tony glanced doubtfully to Strange, "how does she know where the control panel is?"

Loki, Bruce, Peyton, Stephen, Peter and Tony stood by the glass of the ship, overlooking the stars. Two giant metal mechanic arms were sprouted from the floor, built as though hands were meant to fit inside them to move the ship.

Loki instantly took charge, seeming as though he already knew how to fly this ship. He placed his arm inside, and as Tony moved forward to help, another Loki stepped out of him and slotted his arm into the other one. Tony grimaced but stood back.

The mood in the room grew tense as the rest of the group observed two Lokis flying a ship. It was on all three adults' minds. This man could easily multiply and murder all of us. The only thing hold him back is trust. Slowly, one by one, each man turned their gazes to Peyton's content expression. Peyton glanced over to Bruce who seemed nervous about the whole ordeal. "Bruce, could you do the honours?" She gestured over to the control panel.

He sighed and stepped forward, beginning to instruct the Lokis on where to go as Peyton stood back with the other three, watching them fly through space. She felt as though she were trapped in one of her dreams. Never in her wildest fantasies had she ever imagined being in the same room as an Avenger, let alone two of them. Flying through space. It was almost too overwhelming to handle. But she held herself together by distracting herself with Galactus.

Peter noticed the girl fiddling about and couldn't help but watch what she was doing. From her small black bag, she pulled out a faded, shriveled cactus that made her frown deeply. Whilst time went by, she removed Galactus from her pot and sprayed the roots directly with water to speed up the process. Although, space wasn't exactly going to do the poor plant any good.

"Peyton, why do you have a cactus in your bag?" Spider-Man finally asked the question that everyone except Loki had been wondering.

She smiled to him softly. The still air seemed to melt pink in romanticism. Memory was such a bittersweet thing. "My dad gave me this three years ago before he died," she explained, "I called her Galactus the Cactus and made sure I watered her every week. She was thriving up until this morning - or three weeks ago, when I time traveled into the future and left her without water for too long. I wanted to fix her, but then Earth got invaded so I took her with me so I could fix her up later." Once she'd finished spraying her, she placed Galactus back in her pot then secured her in her bag again. She was surprised to find Peter actually interested in what she was saying when she looked to him again. It was strange to see the boy without a mask on now, though he didn't seem to mind. It was obvious he was a teenager; he still had innocence and hope in his eyes. 

He grinned at her as Bruce turned back to see Peyton. Loki seemed to have the ropes now, and Tony and Stephen were talking on the other side of the room, something about Peyton's powers. She couldn't hear everything from where she stood. "We're not too far away now. Loki says you should start thinking about traveling back in time. You haven't done it this big before and it might take you a while to figure it out," he explained and she nodded her head. He fumbled nervously with the cuff of his sleeve for a moment. "Thanos only has one of the infinity stones right now. How are you thinking of stopping him from getting the rest?" he queried as Peyton adjusted herself.

She glanced to him carelessly, "oh, I'm not. How did he get the blue cube by the way?"

Bruce blinked. "The Tesseract? Valkyrie took it when she resurrected that Surtur guy with that undying flame thing. Thanos took it from her."

Peyton pondered for a minute, then decided it didn't matter. Peter started obsessing to Bruce about Valkyries, and Peyton stepped over to Loki who informed her how close they were getting. She took a look for herself and noticed in the far distance, something dark obscuring the view of the far off galaxies. The velvety purples and pinks caught her awe stricken as her shoulders sank. This was the first chance she'd had to truly admire the natural art around her, how small she felt in such a brilliant, vast space of infinity beauty. Loki had to tap her shoulder to bring her back to reality. She shot him a look of understanding before making her way over to Doctor Strange. "Any idea how to get the whole ship to travel back in time?" she questioned as Stephen turned to her with a doubtful expression. There it was again, that look of paternal disappointment.

"I told you it wasn't clever to do this. Now -"

Tony stepped in line with Strange to look the girl in the eye. For a moment, she thought he was going to join in on Strange's lecture. Me and my two gay dads. She blushed at the thought. An impressed look grew on Tony's face that somehow made her feel worse. Now the only reason I want to live is for his constant approval. His soft smile etched into her brain. Even his eyes were sparkling. "You only learned you could time travel a few hours ago and now you're trying to push an entire spaceship through time?" he verified in astonishment, "That's good, even on my terms." He slapped her shoulder appreciatively as he walked away. Peyton's face rushed red at that casual dad shoulder slap. Her eyes grew wide and tearful as she glanced back to Strange and accidentally caught his gaze. He stared at her for a moment and furrowed his eyebrows at her reaction. Me and my two gay dads. She could've started sobbing right at that very moment. Oh, boy, I have some issues I need to address. 

Stephen sighed and shook his head. "This is way more than I've ever tried, but I've read a lot into it. With both our power, you and I could probably do this together." He waited calmly on her reaction and when the determination fixed in her eyes, he mumbled, "just follow what I do." 

It took Peyton a fair few tries, but when she had the hang of creating a time vortex, her and her dad - uh, mentor, enveloped the entire ship in it. "Now take it back exactly three hours, no more, no less. You alter it in anyway and the ship will be torn in half." His sharp crystal eyes dug into hers as though he were mining.

Peyton clenched her jaw, "wow, thanks for the encouragement."

"Concentrate, Peyton. Three hours."

She nodded and shut her eyes to focus. The world around her blurred into a hazy symphony. Slowly, as though turning a combination dial lock, she felt each second pass by in the opposite direction until she landed on exactly three hours into the past. When she opened her eyes again she sent him a relieved grin as he locked away the stone in satisfaction. They turned to the window to see what lay up ahead. The dead silence in the ship confirmed it - they were in the right place at exactly the right time.

From where they were, they could see a shipwreck in the near distance with a much larger ship towering above it like a shadow just before sunset. She heard someone murmur "Thanos," but she hadn't the heart to turn back. Peyton had seen horror movies less scary than this. She could already see the flashing lights of lasers and innocent people fleeing like ants. Her heart thumped hard in her chest and pounded against her ear drums. Within the same second, everything came to a stand still. Everything had stopped moving apart from their ship and everyone inside. She turned back to the rest of the group and swallowed hard, but she didn't have to say anything. They all seemed to understand.

Peyton's head dropped, her black trainers looked perfectly suitable against the clanky metal beneath her. She drifted her eyes over to the team of inhumans. None of them were normal; they were all just like her. Well - her eyes landed on Tony and a small smile appeared on her face -almost all of them. Everyone seemed to be waiting on her command in the quiet shade of the ship. She cleared her throat. "We get all the survivors on the ship and take them back to Earth, okay?" she confirmed with tearing eyes. They all nodded their heads silently. Now that death was right in front of their faces, none of them could refuse to help.

Their ship dawned slowly onto the wreckage and stopped just next to them. Tony's helmet formed back over his head to signify he was ready to board the other ship and search for passengers. Peyton turned back to her team and analysed the situation. She pointed to Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Loki. "You three will have no trouble breathing. You'll need to get out there and rescue everyone you can. Bruce, Strange and I will wait here and help the passengers get accommodated. You should be completely safe, I've frozen the threat," she explained collectedly. She watched the five of them nod their heads before Loki stepped in.

"If I could interject..."

Peyton held back a roll of her eyes. "What, Loki?" Once the words had left her mouth, she found herself surprised they'd come from her. Not a few hours ago, she was trying to do everything she could to stay out of his way. Now she was talking to him with impatience in her tone. And he seemed to be amused by her annoyance.

He smiled to her dryly, "not only have you left Thanos and his team of minions on hold, you've done that to everyone else on the ship, too," he informed her with cheek on his tongue. Peyton widened her eyes and turned around to see that, once again, Loki was right. Asgardians were frozen halfway through the air, sprinting away, or even halfway through dying. It wasn't a pleasant sight. 

"I hate to agree with Fredo here, but it's gonna make it a hell of a lot harder dragging Asgardian mannequins all the way back here. Especially if they weigh anything like Thor," Tony mentioned with the drag of his tongue. He glanced over to Loki who glared at him, though he couldn't tell if it was because he'd called him Fredo, or because he'd just compared his entire race to being as big as Thor.

Peter jumped at the name and his mask flew from his face. "Wait, Thor's on there? I'll - I'll save him if he needs saving!" he whooped, but gained a look from Tony and simmered down.

"All right kid, let's not embarrass ourselves in front of Asgardians. Bruce already embarrassed me in front of wizards today," he reminded him, to which Bruce grimaced guiltily.

"Hey, let's leave Bruce out of this. He's obviously got a lot of pent up emotions about something that's making Hulk stay inside today," Peyton defended sympathetically and turned to Bruce who seemed rather uncomfortable. She raised her hand to him in a comforting manner, "it's okay, I've been there. I didn't shower for three w-"

"Okay, how about we just fix this little problem and get to saving these Asgardians?" Strange suggested, stepping out of the group of heroes towards Peyton who was about to unload her life story onto Bruce, who would've been too polite to stop her. It'd already happened once. He glanced nervously over to Tony, who was now in the middle of teaching Peter how to contain his emotions around gods.

Before long, Peyton had unfrozen the Asgardians and Peter, Tony and Loki had boarded every last survivor onto the ship. Initially, all three of them had crept around frozen-Thanos and his team of worms, but by the third run, they were purposely crashing into them. Thor, who'd since been released from his little contraption, was stood by Peyton watching, because she'd condemned him to stay with her when he insisted on attempting murder on Thanos. Multiple people had reminded him that he no longer owned Mjolnir and could not murder a Deviant with his bare hands, even if he was frozen in time. After the third attempt, Peyton had Loki and Iron Man drag his ass back to the ship where she insisted he stayed with the threat of her own tears. She wasn't sure why it had worked. It was her go-to phrase when she didn't want something to happen. 'I'll cry if he gives us another assignment,' 'if they cancel my favourite TV show I'll ball my eyes out,' 'if they don't have my favourite cereal I will have a meltdown in the middle of the aisle.' For some reason, all she had to do was stand in front of Thor and say in a very panicked, broken voice because she was terrified of the god, 'if you go out there one more time, I'll - I'll cry my eyes out! Don't test me!' It wasn't her initial plan, but it was what came out. And to everyone's surprise, it worked.

Thor stood by the girl's side watching out of the glass as they set course on their way back to Earth. The ship had since grown very loud and chaotic with all the noise of the survivors. Heimdall was watching a little ways off, stood with Korg and Miek, who she only knew because Korg had introduced himself and his friend, and Heimdall had stated that he'd seen them coming. Peyton had no idea what he was on about, but after all she'd been through recently, she didn't question it. Besides, Peter was talking to him right now.

"You're the same Midgardian I saw a few weeks ago before my adventure with Bruce, aren't you?" Thor verified with a threateningly good English accent. His voice boomed with power, she almost jumped out of her skin.

As he spoke, Peyton was reminded of the little Thor shrine she had back in her college dorm. Her face flushed red at the idea that Loki might've seen it when they were there. She hadn't even thought about it until now. He'd probably seen it. There was no way he hadn't seen it. Peyton cringed. The only reason she had it there was because of an ironic joke she started with her friends back in England that slowly became less ironic the more Thor merchandise she collected. Peyton forced her head to nod. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I was kinda...terrified of you before."

Thor gave a haughty chuckle and folded his arms. "I wouldn't dwell on it; it's not uncommon," he grinned and glanced down to her. He watched her face redden and look down. Loki hovered in the corner of his eye. "So, you were with Loki this entire time, and you came back to save us? Was it Loki's idea?" he beckoned softly, emotion brewing in his pretty blue eye.

Holding back a snarky reply, she composed herself. "Yeah, we haven't been with each other that long, else I'm pretty sure I'd be dead by now. But yeah, it was his idea. When Bruce told him what happened, he got really sad and I offered to travel back in time to save you guys and he accepted," she grinned, lying through her teeth. "You see, I'm always right when I'm around him. I don't know how he's survived this long without me."

Despite her obvious pride, Thor quietened for a moment. "So, we didn't survive what happened..." He glanced to her with pain in his eye, "you saved us all from certain death."

Peyton looked away, finally reading the room. "Well, I don't know that for sure," she mumbled, trying to think of a segue to get out of this subject. "And hey, what happened to your hair? And your eye? I mean, it's a good look, very badass. Like a kinda pirate-meets-warrior kinda-" Before she could finish her sentence, Peyton felt two broad strong arms over her back, drawing her in and pressing her hard against metal armour. Dull pain pinched her cheekbone but she clenched her jaw and pretended she wasn't suffocating for as long as she could to make herself seem tougher than she actually was. She was pretty certain he'd left a mark on her face when he pulled away, but it was so worth it. A hug from a god. You don't get that everyday. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a hug from a man. She missed it. Oh, look, Dad number three. She fought back a grin.

"Thank you, Lady Peyton, for saving my people and I from certain death," he exclaimed proudly before realising how rude he'd been by hugging her. To apologise, he knelt down on his knee and stared to the ground. Once his people had noticed what their king was doing, they followed suit. Loki, Peter, Tony, Bruce and Strange all looked around in confusion at all the people bowing to Peyton whose face had gone blood red.

"Oh!" she yelped before looking around to her team for help. They all shrugged to her and she turned back to Thor to improvise on what needed to be done in a situation where an entire other race was bowing to her. Clearing her throat, and remembering what she'd seen in the Narnia movies she'd watched as a child, Peyton stepped forward and took Thor's sword from the holster on his back. It whistled as it was drawn, alerting the team of the potential hazard. They watched warily as Peyton clumsily got to grips with the heavier-than-expected weapon and ever so slowly tapped either one of Thor's shoulders with it. "Uh, rise, Thor, King of Narn-Asgard," she muttered. Tony snorted in the background. She was pretty sure Stephen face palmed. 

Thor, in confusion, rose to his feet and swiftly took back his blade from Peyton's inexperienced hands. The rest of his people soon rose with looks of uncertainty on their faces. Peyton gave him a nervous nod before fleeing the situation back to Stephen who she hoped would keep her on a shorter leash from now on so she wouldn't be making anymore of a fool of herself.

By the time Peyton and the rest of her team had arrived back on Earth, Squidward and his ship had completely disappeared. Even Peyton needed Strange to explain to her that there would now be two separate timelines branching out. That there was another timeline in an alternative dimension in which the Asgardians' fate would've been sealed by Thanos. That if there were any living survivors of that shipwreck that had managed to have gotten away in that timeline, there'd now be two of them. She also needed him to explain to her more about the infinity stones, which she learned there were six of, and Thanos would need all of them to do what she knew he was going to do.

With that information now in mind, Strange asked her if she knew what she was going to do. She explained to him that he, Tony and Peter were going to stay on the ship and go to where it would've taken them before. Since it already had set coordinates in its log, all they had to do was push a few buttons and it would take them there and they'd be back on track with the future she'd dreamed of. She then explained that the rest of them would all reside on Earth, and she'd take care of the rest.

Strange stared at her for a long time before a little belief finally twinkled in his crystal eyes. He nodded, and with a deep sigh, said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

She smiled to him confidently as they came back to Earth and the Asgardians all descended the ship. "Yes, I do. But I just need one more favour off you. Those portals you make can take you anywhere, right?"

He shot her a wary look but nodded his head...

Peyton made a point of freezing the people on the planet so they wouldn't cause a second wave of panic when the ship came back, and once everyone had gotten off, the three of them waited a moment as Thor sent his people off.

"Heimdall, I trust you in taking care of our people from now on. I must join forces with Lady Peyton. She has seen the future, she knows what to do," Thor explained with the utmost importance in his voice. Heimdall nodded to him, glanced over to Peyton and turned back to the Asgardians who were all taking in their surroundings with fear and wariness. They did get a fair few looks off the general public as the group dispersed into the distance.

Peyton glanced around at the team surrounding her, Bruce, Loki, and Thor. None of them, she realised, knew what she had planned next. And none of them knew what to do. "Okay, here's the plan," she announced, recounting her dreams and trying not to get them mixed up. The confidence wavered in the group. Thor was full of it, the others, not so much. She turned to Bruce with a smile, "I need you to make that call you were going to make before I took you on the ship. Call Captain America, tell him you're on your way."

"Why - why would I do that?" Bruce fumbled with the old phone in his pocket before pausing at what she was saying. There might be a chance he could escape another close run in with death if he left her.

"As far as I can remember, you go with Cap and the rest of the Avengers to Wakanda to sort out Vision's head. And, oh," she cut him off as he looked for Steve's contact, "a word of advice, don't bow. I know he tells you to bow, but..." Peyton shook her head at him to express her disapproval. When he shot her a look of confusion, she replied, "it'll make sense later. Are we good to leave you to it? I need to get my journal."

He nodded his head and put the phone to his ear, signalling that the three of them could leave. Peyton put her thumbs up to him and began on her way back towards her dorm, tailed by two royal Asgardians. And that wasn't even the weirdest part of her day. 

When she'd gotten her journal and tried to stop the two men from coming into her room because of the shrine she'd been reminded of, Loki had already mentioned it to him. Peyton's face proceeded to grow immensely red at the idea that they both knew about it now, and Loki had seen it earlier but neglected to mention it. Completely humiliated, she took the two of them back to where the ship was, so Doctor Strange could beam them up again. Peyton shot him a cunning look as he sent her one more questioning stare before sighing and creating a portal leading to the Alps.

"I really hope you're right about this," he mumbled as the rest of the team stared in confusion at the magical circle completely defying physics in the middle of the room. 

Peyton sent him an assured smile and turned back to Loki and Thor. "Yeah, we got this. Don't worry about us, just focus on what you need to do," she nodded to him and he nodded back.

As Tony was about to ask a question nobody wanted to answer, Peyton, Thor and Loki stepped through the portal and it closed up behind them, leaving them stranded in a completely isolated mountain range. As the three of them stood there looking around, Peyton took mental notes of when all of these situations took place. After growing impatient, she leaned forward and touched both of the gods' arms, travelling them further into the future. The three of them looked around for signs of change, but nothing really moved around them. And Peyton was more concerned about them. She checked the two of them to make sure they wouldn't start flaking away, and when she was certain they were both still standing, she nodded in satisfaction and opened up her dream journal. "It's a good thing we all survive the snap too, huh?" she murmured, making conversation as she read, "I wonder if my mum survived it. My dad certainly didn't." She took a seat on a small rock and stopped reading for a moment. "Oh, I hope Galactus survived it," she uttered and carefully took the pot from her bag that still held the almost-dead cactus. She smiled in relief and brought it out to sit by her for some sunlight.

"Peyton, I truly hope that this was your plan -" Loki turned around to the girl in a fit of rage, but she waved him away.

"Well, obviously it was my plan," she scoffed and tapped her journal, "and I know exactly when we need to go next."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I'm new to Ao3 and have absolutely no clue how this website works. I came from Wattpad, I know, just swing the axe already. But I'm redeeming myself, I promise! I come to your land with glad tidings! Here, take this fanfiction I wrote after a two week relapse of Marvel grief - I hope it helps even in the smallest ways to settle your aching mind for a while :)


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